"As a child growing up in rural Ohio, my artist father used to take my sister and I to freshly plowed cornfields to dig for fossils and arrowheads. The simplicity of digging a material from beneath the earth with my hands that had some special purposed fascinated me. I think that largely contributed to my choice of materials: rocks and metal. I work with brass, copper, silver, and semiprecious gemstones. I prefer the look of un-faceted, natural materials and often incorporate raw gems into my designs." — Madeleine Etter.